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Engagement of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley
Announcement & Background On 31 May 1995, the Danish court announced that Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger son of Margrethe II of Denmark and Henrik, Prince Consort, was engaged to marry Alexandra Manley, and the couple would marry in November. The announcement came as a shock to the Danish, as the couple had kept their entire relationship a secret. They met at a dinner in Hong Kong in January 1994, and following a whirlwind courtship, Joachim proposed in the Philippians on bended knee. He presented her with a diamond ring with a round cabochon ruby on either side. The ring itself was yellow gold. First Press Conference The day of the announcement, the couple appeared outside Fredensborg Palace to answer questions from the press. They were joined by Margrethe II, Prince Henrik, Ingrid of Sweden (Margrethe's mother), and Richard and Christa Manley (Alexandra's father and mother). The couple also gave an interview inside the palace with their parents. Interviewer: Congratulations. Alexandra: Thank you very much. I'': How did you meet and when was it? ''A: We met in Hong Kong, um, middle of January 1994 Joachim: At a private dinner. I'': you go down on your knees? ''J: I was down on my knees. I'': Where were you? ''J: We were in the Philippians. I'': Are you able to speak Chinese with His Royal Highness Prince Henrik? ''A: Well, I think Prince Henrik's Chinese is much better than mine. Prince Henrik speaks Mandarin and I speak a little bit of Cantonese, which is the language spoken in Hong Kong basically. I'': How much do you know about Denmark? ''A: answer A news station also had a telephone interview with one of Alexandra's youngest sisters in Hong Kong. Sister: Well, I mean actually, the first time, I didn't meet him Joachim properly. I'd seen him and I had no idea who he was. And then when I was introduced to him, my sister Alexandra told me who he was. I'': And you were shocked? ''S: Yes, I was incredibly shocked! I was speechless. I'': Was it love at first sight? ''S: Oh, gosh, you can't ask me something like that! I have no idea! Second Press Conference The next day, June 1, the couple held another press conference inside the Palace. Queen Margrethe joined them briefly to say that Joachim would keep his title, and Alexandra would gain the title Princess of Denmark. A'': Any advice that anybody could give me, I would gladly listen to and accept. ''Margrethe II: My son will keep his title, and my future daughter-in-law will assume the title of Princess of Denmark. They also gave a one-on-one interview with Teddy Koch and Lars Staerbo. Teddy Koch: When did you tell your parents that you had said 'yes' to Prince Joachim? A'': Well, actually, strangely enough, Prince Joachim asked my parents before he asked me, so they knew before me. ''J: Not strange. A'': No, not strange. ''Lars Staerbo: I can imagine it was important, but were there any risks of the secrecy being broken at any time? J'': I don't think so actually, because we'd obviously been living in two separate continents. That itself has kept a natural secrecy. ''LS: Was it important for you to keep the secrecy? J'': Yes ''A: I think so, too. Although our phone bills wouldn't have showed it! TK: What about family increase? Do you have any plans in that direction? A'': Pardon? ''TK: What about family increase, children? A'': Well, as we said earlier, getting married is a very big step, and I think we'd like to get used to that idea first. ''J: But obviously, we would also like to have our own family, as we've been raised in happy families. But that's yet to come; let's start with the marriage. LA: The Danish press has put some emphasis on the age difference: the woman being older than the man. Does that mean anything to you, Miss Alexandra? A'': Prince Joachim very kindly translated to me in the newspapers today what he had time to do, and the papers had very, very kindly said that they didn't think that the age difference was a big problem because Prince Joachim matured very early and he's a very mature and sensible person and I tend to very much agree with that! ''TK: Apart from being a wife, will you continue with your own business career? A'': I think it's very important to have your own interests, be it hobbies, business, work, and I'm very much an independent person. I'd very much like to keep doing something of my own, yes. ''TK: What kind of things? A'': To be honest with you, I cannot answer that until I've actually lived there for a bit and seen what opportunities there are. ''LA: Prince Joachim, will you allow the Miss Alexandra to have a room with computers so she can trade on Hong Kong walls? J'': Well, seeing as I haven't, well, I have a very, very, very faint idea of what that part of business is like, whereas Alexandra has a hell of a lot more to say in that, if she feels confident in trading long-distance, that's perfect with me. ''TK: Miss Alexandra, do you expect to manage your husband's estate? A'': I'd very much like to be involved in it... cuts Official Photos The official photos were taken by Rigmor Mydtskov. 1995PrinceJoachimCountessAlexandraEngagementOfficial1.jpg 1995CountessAlexandraofFrederiksborgEngagementOfficial6.jpg 1995PrinceJoachimCountessAlexandraEngagementOfficial2.jpg 1995CountessAlexandraofFrederiksborgEngagementOfficial2.jpg 1995CountessAlexandraofFrederiksborgEngagementOfficial4.jpg 1995CountessAlexandraofFrederiksborgEngagementOfficial3.jpg 1995CountessAlexandraofFrederiksborgEngagementOfficial1.jpg Wedding & Divorce :''See Wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley The couple married on 18 November 1995. They had two sons: Prince Nikolai (b. 1999) and Prince Felix (b. 2002). On 8 April 2006, the couple divorced. Alexandra later married Martin Jørgensen in 2007 and her title changed to Countess of Frederiksborg. The couple have no children. Joachim also remarried to Marie Cavallier in 2008. The couple have two children: Prince Henrik (b. 2009) and Princess Athena (b. 2012). References & External Links *CountessAlexandra.net - More information Category:Prince Joachim of Denmark Category:Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg Category:Engagement Category:1995